The technology used to add a pyrithione metal salt to a part of a metal oxide or metal hydroxide is known. For example, there are descriptions as to technologies for forming metal pyrithione as a shell on the surface of a metal oxide or metal hydroxide used as a core and as to a biocidal composite in the publication of Japanese Patent Publication (Laid-Open) No. 2002-521339. However, in these technologies, the amount of the metal pyrithione to be added to a metal oxide or metal hydroxide is merely about 10 W % based on the metal oxide or metal hydroxide and the biological activity of the pyrithione metal salt is therefore insufficiently made effective.
Also, technologies for enhancing the efficiency of metal pyrithione by using the metal pyrithione and a metal oxide or metal hydroxide are known. For example, the publication of Japanese Patent Publication (Laid-Open) No. 2003-522734 suggests that the use of a combination of zinc oxide, copper oxide, zinc hydroxide or copper hydroxide and metal pyrithione increases antibacterial and antifungal efficacy. However, the effect of this combination is not developed as long as the metal oxide or the metal hydroxide does not generate a metal ion and therefore the use of this combination is limited to aqueous products and also, a stable effect is not obtained.
Also, in the publication of Japanese Patent Publication Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 51-95078, a method in which pyridinethiol is reacted with a zinc salt in the presence of a base and water is disclosed as a method of producing a 2-pyridylthio zinc oxy complex. The method of producing this complex is similar to a method of producing a pyrithione complex compound which is a compound obtained when M is zinc, Q is one oxygen atom, D is zinc pyrithione, y=0, p+2q=0, n=0, neither A nor B are present and x is ⅓ among the compounds represented by the formula (I) which will be explained later. However, the both methods differ from each other as to the product to be produced and its effect in the point that first, the materials obtained in both methods are different from each other and second, the zinc pyrithione/zinc oxide complex compound of the present invention has biocidal activity whereas the above 2-pyridylthio zinc oxy complex shows the effect of preventing a deterioration of a resin which is caused by the contact with a heavy metal.
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Publication (Laid-Open) No. 2002-521339.
Patent Reference 2: Japanese Patent Publication (Laid-Open) No. 2003-522734.
Patent Reference 3: Japanese Patent Publication (Laid-Open) No. S51-95078.